Automatic car-fender.



A. J. HAGAN. AUTOMATIC GAR FENDER. APPLIOATION FILED FEB. z, 1910.

Patented Sept. 6, 1910.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

WITNESSES.

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A. J. HAGAN. AUTOMATIC OAR FENDER. APPLICATION FILED rm. 2. mm

969,753. Patented Sept. 6, 1910.

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A. J. HAGAN.

AUTOMATIC GAR FENDER. APPLICATION FILED rnB.z,1e1o.

969,753. Patented Sept. 6,1910.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

WITNESSES; INVENTO/f A TTORNEVS THE mum/s 1-5pm: ctr, wnsnmarmv. a c.

ALEXANDER JOSEPH I-IAGAN, OF REPRESA,

CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO CHARLES MURRAY, OF REPRESA,CALIFORNIA.

AUTOMATIC CAR-FENDER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. (5, 1910.

Application filed February 2, 1910. Serial No. 541,526.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Annxxn'nnn Josnrit I'IAGAN, a citizen of the UnitedStates, aml a resident of Represa, in the county of Sacramento and Stateof California, have invented a new and Improved Automatic Car- Fender,of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention .relates to an automatic fender for cars or the like, andan objectof the invention is to provide a. fender which willautomatically drop to scoop up a body by the impact of the body on atrip gate.

A further object of this invention is to provide an automatic dropfender with means for readily returning the fender to its normalposition.

These and further objects, together with the construction andcombination of parts, will be more fully described hereinafter andparticularly setforth in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar characters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the views, and in which Figure 1 is aperspective view of my device; Fig. 2 is a side view in elevation,showing the fender in its raised position; Fig. 3 is a side View inelevation, showing the fender in its dropped or pick-up position; Fig. 4is a side view in elevation, showing the front of the fender folded upout of the way; Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail plan view of the front endof the main fender; Fig. (3 is an enlarged fragmentary plan view of thefront end of the drop fender, partly in section to show the pivotalconnection; Fig. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary view in elevation, of themeans for guiding the flexible connection between the trip and the dropfender; and Fig. 8 is an enlarged perspective view of one of the springson the drop fender.

Referring more particularly to the separate parts of the device, 1indicates a car of any suitable structure. Secured to the under side ofthe car in any suitable manner, there are provided on each side thereofa pair of brackets 3 and 4;, which support forwardly-extending arms 5.

Pivotally connected to the forward end ofthe arms 5, there is provided aframe 6, which is supported in its lowermost position by means offlexible connections 7,

which may be of any suitable character, such as chains, and are securedat their upper ends to the body of the car 1, in any suitable manner.

Extending transversely of the frame (5, and secured thereto in any wellknown manner, there is provided a cross bar 8. which forms a means ofattachment for a plurality of flexible strips 9, which may be of anysuitable strong, resilient material, such as canvas. The opposite endsof these strips 9 are secured in any well known manner to a cross bar10, which is supported by the [lexible chains 7, intermediate the endsthereof.

In order to hold the flexible strips 9 in a receptive cradle-like form,there is provided a floating cross bar 11, which is adjustably connectedto the arms 5 by means of short lengths of flexible connections 12 ofany suitable character, such as chains.

Pivotally connected to the forward end of the frame 6 in any well knownmanner, there is provided a trip gate 13, which is preferably formed ofa transverse bar 14-, to which is secured at spaced intervals aplurality of spring fingers 15, the lower ends of which are coiled backon themselves to form blunt extremities. The two outer spring fingers 15are extended up beyond the bar 14, and curved over to form a suitablesup port for a transverse bar '16, which is held in spaced relation withthe fingers I?) and the bar 14. The trip gate 13 has secured thereto inany well known manner a pair of flexible connections 17, which extendbetween guide pulleys 18 and 19 on the brackets 3, and also over pulleys21 on the car body 1 to a drop fender 22. The drop fender 22 is composedof two members, .23 and 24, each of which is pivotally connected to thebracket 41- in any well known manner, such as that more fullyillustrated in Fig. (3. These members 23 and 2st are yieldingly heldabutting against each other by means of springs 25 on each side thereof.The member 2 1 is composed preferably of a frame covered by a suitablenetwork of wire 25, which forms a yielding support for a body which maybe thrown thereon. The forward member 23 is also formed for a portion ofits length with a frame covered with a network of wire 26, which alsoforms a resilient support for a body cast thereon. Extending from theforward ends of this framework there are also provided a plurality ofspring fingers 27, which are adapted to conform to the unevenness of theground when the fender is lowered, and have their lower ends formed to apoint and turned back on themselves, as more clearly illustrated in Fig.8. g

In order to lock the drop fender 22 in its pick-up position, there isprovided a latch lever 28, which has thereon a number of teeth 29, whichare adapted to engage the rear end of the fender 22, and hold it in anyof its adjusted positions. The lever 28 is pivotally connected at 30 inany well known manner to the body of the car 1, and extends forwardly,where it is pivotally connected to a treadle 31. The treadle 31 is forthe purpose of depressing the forward end of the lever 28, and thusremoving the teeth 29 from engagement with the fender 22, allowing it tofall into its normal position. In order to return the latch lever 28from its normal position ready to lockingly engage the fender 22, thereis provided a tension spring 32, which is connected to the body of thecar 1 at one end, and to the forward end of the lever 28 at the otherend.

The operation of the device will be readily understood when taken inconnection with the above description. There is preferably provided oneof these fenders at each end of the car. The fender at the front end isextended in the position indicated in Fig. 2, when running in a normalcondition. The fender at the rear end of the car is collapsed up againstthe car end in a manner clearly illustrated in Fig. t, so that theextended parts will be out of the way. -When the car approaches anobstruction, the trip gate 13, being at the foremost end, will come incontact with the obstacle first. If this obstacle should happen to be aman standing up, the trip gate 13 will tend to invert him into thecradle formed by the frame 6 and the strips 9, which will resilientlygive under his weight, minimizing the shock, and causing him littleinjury. If, however, the obstacle should be a low one, such as a per sonlying on the ground, the impact of the body against the lower end of thetrip gate 13 will swing it to the position indicated in Fig. 3, wherebythe rear end of the drop fender 22 will be raised and the forward enddepressed to the position indicated in Fig. 3, where the parts will bein a receptive position for the body, scooping it up with the leastpossible injury. The fender 22 is automatically locked in its pick-upposition by the lock lever 28 engaging the rear end of the fender.Should the obstruction be the body of a person, the car will have to bestopped, and the person helped or pulled out of the fender 22. If,however, the dropping of the fender to the pick-up position is caused bythe dip of the gate 13 into the ground, due to the uneven running of thecar, or if the fender is dropped by a boulder striking the trip gate 13,it is not necessary for the motorman to leave the car; he canmerely puthis weight onto the treadle 31, thereby drawing the locking lever 28 outof engagement with the fender 22, which will automatically drop bygravity into its normal position.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent 1. In a device of the class described, the combinationwith a support, of a frame connected to said support, flexiblesuspension means for said frame, a plurality of flexible stripsconnected to said frame and suspen* sion means, and a floating barloosely engaging said strips and capable of movement relative thereto,for holding said strips in a cradle-like form.

2. In a device of the class described, the

otally connected to said support, flexible sus-' pension members forsaid frame, a transverse bar connected to said frame, a transverse barconnected to said suspension members, a plurality of flexible stripsconnected to said bars at each end, a transverse bar engaging saidflexible strips intermediate their ends, and a flexible connection.between said last-i'neutioued bar and said frame.

In a device of the class described, the combination with a car, ofsupporting bracket-s depending from said car, a frame pivotallyconnected to the forward end of said brackets, flexible suspensionmembers for said frame, a plurality of flexible strips connected to saidframe and said suspension members, a trip pivotally connected to saidframe, a fender pivotally connected to said brackets, a flexibleconnection between said trip and said fender, whereby said trip isadapted to actuate said fender, means for locking said fender, and meansfor releasing said locking means from the interior of said car.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

ALEXANDER JOSEPH HAGAN.

Witnesses J P. Cox, J. A. AGUIRRE.

